Bathroom Remodeling: A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide will help you navigate a bathroom remodel from start to finish.

The difference between a disastrous bathroom remodeling project in Louisville, CO, and an awe-inspiring masterpiece is having a solid plan. A successful bathroom remodel plan is like a well-laid-out roadmap. It helps ensure that you make the right decisions when planning your bathroom remodel ideas while helping you stay on track. To do this, you need to read our Bathroom Remodeling: Step-by-Step Guide to explain the in-depth process and steps required or search for a “bathroom remodel near me” to find a qualified professional.

Sadly, many homeowners begin their bathroom remodeling ideas without proper planning. The result? A bathroom remodeling project that takes longer, ends badly, and goes over budget! To ensure that your project doesn’t leave you stressed out, confused, or both, we have created this simple guide. This guide will help you navigate bathroom renovation from start to finish.

• Why Should You Remodel Your Bathroom?
• Repair Existing Issues
• Boost Your Storage Space
• Improve the Visual Appeal of Your Bathroom
• Raise the Resale Value of Your Home
• Add More Functionality to Your Space
• Boost Energy Efficiency
• Increase Bathroom Safety
• Choosing the Design Elements
• Get Your Tools Ready
• Additional Tools to Consider (Optional)
• Remodeling Your Bathroom in 7 Simple Steps
• How Long Does a Bathroom Remodeling take?
• Should you DIY Your Bathroom Remodel or Contact a Contractor?
• Selecting a Contractor
• How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?
• Final Thoughts

Why Should You Remodel Your Bathroom?

A few weeks ago, your colleague at work discussed his plans to remodel his bathroom with you. Yesterday, your neighbor spoke to you about a similar plan. Why does it seem like everyone in Louisville, Colorado is remodeling their bathroom?

So you ask yourself “Should I think about remodeling my bathroom?

Here are some reasons:

Repair Existing Issues

Your bathroom isn’t designed to last forever. No one has such a bathroom, not even Jeff Bezos. Over time, this part of your home will experience issues like water leaks, toilet trouble, loose tiles, damaged faucets, etc. When these issues happen repeatedly, it is a sign that you need to renovate your bathroom.

Renovating your bathroom wouldn’t only reduce how often you carry out repairs, but it’ll also give your bathroom a brand-new look.

Boost Your Storage Space

Are you finding it hard to store your new skincare products and toiletries? Did you recently get married and need to increase your bathroom storage space? Then it is probably time to remodel your bathroom.

Remodeling your bathroom allows you to add additional bathroom cabinets to store your products and towels. Plus, it also helps you boost the visual appeal of your bathroom, which is significant to the resale value of your home.

Improve the Visual Appeal of Your Bathroom

It’s a no-brainer; remodeling your 5, 6, or 7-year-old bathroom is a good way to update its look.

Have you become tired of the way your bathroom looks? Does it appear dated to you? Why not give it a facelift? You can do this by changing fixtures, installing new more modern tiles, updating the lighting, etc.

There are many ways to enhance the visual appeal of your bathroom through remodeling. Speak with Louisville, CO bathroom remodeling professionals for some ideas. Or if you have one of your own, you can discuss it with them; they’ll help you bring it to life.

Raise the Resale Value of Your Home

If you are looking to sell your home in the future, you’ll certainly want to sell it for more than you originally paid for it. That can’t happen if you have an outdated bathroom. You should consider some bathroom remodeling ideas to boost its visual appeal to make it stand out from other homes on the market.

Many potential home buyers are looking for homes that have been recently remodeled. So if your home has a bathroom fitted with a new, modern look, you’ll have the upper hand at the negotiating table. Plus, it will help you sell your home faster.

Add More Functionality to Your Louisville, CO Bathroom

Are you struggling with your bathroom’s functionality and want to do something about it? If so, it is time to renovate your bathroom. This allows you to add a range of exciting bathroom accessories like glass shower enclosures, shower screens, new shower pans, and attractive bathroom sinks, which will make your bathroom feel more functional and appealing.

We recommend a bathroom renovation if you have many family members sharing a single unit. This will improve its functionality to accommodate multiple family members.

Boost Energy Efficiency

If your bathroom is old, the chances are that its appliances are old as well. As you probably know, many of these older appliances are energy-wasting and can contribute to your high energy bill.

One way to boost energy efficiency in your home is by renovating your bathroom. Renovating helps you switch from energy-draining devices to one that helps you save energy. Not only is the move good for the resale value of your home, but it also saves you money.

In addition to switching to energy-efficient appliances, such as low-flow shower heads, we recommend installing energy-efficient windows to improve ventilation, thus eliminating cooling costs in the summer and heating costs when the winter season arrives.

Increase Bathroom Safety

160,000 Americans die as a result of accidents annually. Unfortunately, 75% of these deaths are due to household injuries, many of which occur in the bathroom.

To prevent your Louisville, CO bathroom from becoming a death trap, we recommend making a few changes. This is important for individuals who have young children.

You can decide to install a lower-threshold shower, slip-resistant flooring, shower enclosures, and other accessories or fixtures that make your bathroom safer. An integrated shower seat is a smart addition that aids those with mobility issues, the elderly, and people with injuries.

Choosing the Design Elements

Before you jump in on any of your bathroom remodel ideas, it’s important you take time to choose a design that matches your vision and your DIY expertise.

You can tackle a typical bathroom renovation from different angles, from repainting and replacing old accessories or increasing square footage to demolishing the space and start from scratch.

Here are a few things you need to figure out before you begin your remodeling project.

Choice of color: What color do you have in mind? Are you looking for a color scheme that makes your bathroom appear calm? Or one that introduces a sense of comfort? If you aren’t sure of the color scheme you want, you can seek inspiration from the internet. Regardless of your choice, ensure you go for something that rhymes with your bathroom tiles.

New or old bathroom accessories: Do you want to replace your cabinets? What about your bathtub or those old lighting fixtures? Replacing your bathroom fixtures is a good idea. However, note that it’ll extend the deadline for your project and, of course, your budget.

Storage areas: What about towels, hair dryers, brushes, and combs, where will they stay? What about your soap, shampoo, and dental floss?

If you decide to pull out a closet to give your bathroom more space, ensure you add alternatives like shelves or cabinets to compensate for the lost storage space in your bathroom.

Utility location: Your bathroom consists of some fixtures (many of which you can see), and there are the wirings and plumping pipes, which are buried in walls or underneath the ground.

When renovating your bathroom, you want to take note of the locations of these things so you don’t damage them and create expensive repair costs.

Get Your Tools Ready

After selecting the design elements for your bathroom renovation project, what next? Time to get your hands dirty! To do that, you’ll need to get your tools ready.

Here are some important tools needed for a DIY bathroom remodel project.

• Caulking gun
• Safety mask
• Chisel
• Utility knife
• Extension cord
• Hacksaw
• Adjustable wrench
• Gloves for safety
• Safety goggles
• Tape measure
• Spackle
• Power drill
• Spackle knife
• Silicone sealant
• Chalk line
• Bucket
• Flathead screwdriver
• Pry bar
• Stud finder
• Hammer

Additional Tools to Consider (Optional)

You can also consider adding these tools to the list.

Wet-dry Shop-Vac: Quite useful should water spill when removing the toilet, sinks, and showers.

Cordless Drill: Unlike the corded drill, a cordless drill allows you to move around freely while working without being confined to one area.

You don’t have to buy these tools. Instead, you can decide to rent them at home improvement stores for a small fee. Or you could borrow them from a family or friend that already has these tools.

That said, let’s now go into the thick of things.

Remodeling Your Bathroom in 7 Simple Steps

1. Take Off Your Bathroom Fixtures

Say you want to partially or totally renovate your bathroom. You’ll need to begin the process by removing all the fixtures you intend to replace. Demolishing your bathroom is not an easy task. However, the process can be easier if you follow these steps.

Steps for Demolishing a Bathroom:

1. First, turn off the water. Then, drain and remove the toilet to prevent flooding.
2. If you plan on removing your bathtub, cover it up and start removing the tiles and drywall. This will make it easier to remodel the plumbing to suit your new shower or tub layout.
3. Remove the sink and vanity mirror, cabinets, flooring, and other fixtures you intend to replace. When removing the tile flooring, remove the baseboards first and set them aside to reinstall after installing your new floor, unless you plan on buying new baseboards.

2. Install the New Shower or Tub

After gutting your bathroom, what next?

At this point, you’ll need to start installing your new fixtures. Before doing that, look for signs of rotting wood or water damage to your subfloor. If you spot any damage, you will need to replace all or part of the subflooring before installing a new tub shower.

When replacing your shower or tub, be sure to select a pan that matches your new design plans, including the space where your current tub is located.

Shower pans are often rectangular, or square in shape. When selecting a base shape, ensure you consider other features of your bathroom, including the location of the entrance.

If you have enough space, you can install a combination shower and bathtub to add more functionality. While many homeowners prefer walk-in showers, we recommend keeping a minimum of one tub in the home to boost its resale value.

3. Install the New Flooring

Now that you have prepared your subfloor, you can install your new flooring. You can go for floor tile, a common choice for bathrooms, or other affordable and DIY-friendly alternatives like laminate or vinyl.

If you decide to go for tile, you’ll need to ensure that your tiles are installed in a straight line throughout the bathroom with a mason’s chalk line.

To do so, measure the four walls in the room to find and mark the midpoint. Then, use two chalk lines to mark the alignment by snapping one from the midpoint of two opposite walls and the other from the midpoint of the other two walls. The intersection of the chalk lines will give you the center point of the room.

4. Hang Drywall and Begin the Painting Process

After installing the new flooring, you can proceed to hang your new drywall. This process takes time due to the many steps involved. First, you’ll need to cut the drywall to fit around your shower walls and shower surrounds, vanity, and other features. Next, you’ll need to secure the boards to the wall (the easiest and quickest part).

Here are some helpful DIY bathroom remodeling ideas and tips to remember during this step:

1. Avoid using cement board for the shower/tub wall. Use drywall instead.
2. Use drywall mud and tape to conceal seams and gaps
3. Coat the cement board with Redgard or an alternative waterproofing layer to protect it against water intrusion

After placing your walls in their right positions, you can begin the painting process. This process is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to freshen up your bathroom.

When selecting the paint colors for your bathroom, it’s recommended that you paint with a semi-gloss finish. Semi-gloss paints can be easily cleaned and are not as prone to mold and mildew.

5. Add Cabinets and Vanity

After painting the walls, you can install the vanity, cabinets, and other accessories or fixtures you want to include in your “almost-renovated” bathroom.

We recommend you set up the vanity first, followed by the sink and faucet. As soon as the drain is connected to the faucet, you can focus on the other fixtures like cabinets, mirrors, etc.

6. Upgrade Your Lighting

Keeping your old lighting fixtures after upgrading your bathroom is like wearing a 1960’s penny loafer with an expensive Louis Viton suit. Terrible combination, right?

But before upgrading your lighting, ensure you measure the available space for the new fixtures. If the new fixtures don’t fit in the dimensions of your old lighting, modify the wiring and fill existing holes with spackles. This step can be complicated, so it’s advisable you contact an electrician if you aren’t up to the task.

If you aren’t sure of the right lighting option to use for your bathroom, here are a few options to select from:

• Led lights
• Incandescent lighting bulbs
• Above mirror lightning
• Vintage
• Ceiling lights
• Vanity lights

7. Connect the Plumbing

Now, your bathroom looks like an actual bathroom. However, there is one thing left: your toilet.

Concerning your toilet, you have two options: you can either decide to reinstall your old toilet or purchase a new one. We suggest you leave this step for the closing stages of your bathroom remodel to prevent damage to the toilet when working on other parts of your bathroom.

8. Adding the Final Touches

This is the fun part of remodeling your bathroom. In this stage, you tap into your creativity to create your dream bathroom. However, before we suggest you install the trim and baseboards. It is the final piece to an exceptional bathroom remodeling project.

In addition to trim, you can add wall art, window treatments, indoor trees, colorful rugs, shower curtains, mirrors, high-end ottomans, etc. When you are done, hop into your bathtub, and have a relaxing shower while sipping wine to celebrate yourself for the job well done.

How Long Does a Bathroom Remodeling Take?

Unfortunately, there is no specific timeframe for completing a bathroom remodeling project. The time it takes to finish the project will depend on a few factors, especially the type of work included in the project.

While a simple renovation like replacing bathroom accessories and painting the walls may take a few days, extensive demolition and renovation may take months to complete. In addition to the scope of the project, the lag time for finding the right fixtures and materials can also contribute to how long a project will take.

If, for instance, you want to install a customized tile in your bathroom, you expect the completion time to be a bit longer due to the time it’ll take to produce the tiles. In addition, certain delays like faulty wiring, bad weather, and some hidden damage can increase the project’s completion time. Plan on adding extra days or even weeks to cater to unexpected issues that may arise during the project.

Should you DIY Your Bathroom Remodel or Contact a Contractor?

When faced with a bathroom renovation project, you may be torn between DIY or hiring a professional. You can consider the former if you have a friend or a family member who has experience with bathroom remodeling projects. But while a DIY can save you money, in the long run, it may not end up well for you and your finished product.

Firstly, the project may require skills that you, your friends, or your family members lack. Plus, since you aren’t an expert, engaging in a bathroom renovation project may increase your risk of injury. Also, there is the chance you may get a lot of things wrong, resulting in a botched project.

Many things could go wrong if you DIY your bathroom renovation project. However, if you contact a professional bathroom renovation contractor in Louisville, Colorado, you’ll have an expert in charge of your project. This will eliminate or reduce the risk of injury or a bad outcome. It will also save you time and money.

Selecting a Contractor

If you love the idea of hiring a contractor for your bathroom renovation project, then you’ll certainly want to go for the best. But, to do that, you’ll need to be ready to do some research.

Usually, states require contractors to be registered. This helps ensure they have the right insurance and bond to protect you should the project go south.

If a friend recommends a contractor to you, or you find one online or anywhere, check your state’s contractor licensing website to ensure that the company is licensed.

Here are some other things to consider when looking for a bathroom remodeling contractor in Superior, Colorado.

Recommendations and feedback from past clients:

Ask your colleague who recently renovated his bathroom for recommendations. You can also check review websites like Trustpilot for feedback from customers. Ensure you check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site as well before making your decision.

Quality of work:

To ensure you’ll get a quality job from a certain contractor, visit review sites and read about their past jobs. Keep an eye out for complaints about quality. You can also visit ongoing projects to experience the contractor’s work firsthand.

Experience:

How experienced is the contractor? How long have they been in business? When selecting a contractor, it’s important you go for one that has enough experience on the job. They are more likely to deliver more than those without enough experience.

How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?

Before you consider renovating your bathroom, you need to determine the cost. This will help you put the necessary plans in place to ensure that you have the financial capability to fund the project from start to finish.

However, the bathroom remodeling cost is not as easy as it seems.

You see, before you arrive at an estimate, you need to consider a few factors. These factors are the scope of the project, bathroom size, and other crucial aspects of the remodeling project.

Master Bathroom Remodel

This bathroom remodeling project will usually cost a bit more as the space is larger with a few more features.

Guest Bathroom Remodel

Guest bathroom remodeling is often less expensive than other bathroom remodeling projects. You don’t have to splurge on the project (unless you are eager to). They are usually cheaper due to their size.

Minor Bathroom Remodel

Don’t want to splurge on a bathroom remodel project? Or does your bathroom require very minor changes or replacements here and there? Then, you should carry out a minor bathroom remodel. This type of remodeling project usually doesn’t cost much

Final Thoughts

A bathroom remodel is necessary to increase your home’s resale value, add more functionality to your bathroom, and freshen things up. While a DIY bathroom remodel may seem like the best and most affordable route to get this done, we advise that you contact an expert bathroom remodel and renovation contractor. They have the experience and tools to transform your bathroom from an old and dated bathroom to an awe-inspiring masterpiece.